A conversation with his girlfriend at the end of 2013 inspired Lorenzo-Vera to put in the work to turn things around. He enlisted the help of his brother, Frank, a golf coach, and got through Q-School. Lorenzo-Vera then sought the help of psychologist Meriem Salmi, a relationship he has continued for the past four years.
“I didn’t realize at the time, but there was a lot of stuff in my head which I needed to understand before we could focus on the psychology of my golf performance,” he says. “For everybody, as soon as we do something that we like for a job and you win some cash, in the mind of everybody and even yourself, you are not allowed to be sad. You have to be happy. I hate to say it, but life’s more vicious than that.
“Meriem told me trust yourself, because you’re clever,” Lorenzo-Vera continued. “I always loved being the guy that can party and be funny, but the thing is I really believed that that was all that I was. But then you realize you’re more than that. You’re clever, you have a good view of what you need to do, and that’s what she taught me.”
A third-place finish at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai last November launched Lorenzo-Vera into the world top 65 for the first time in his career. Now, he’s eligible for exemptions into WGCs like this week’s Mexico Championship.
“There was a time when I would have been nervous to come to events with the best players in the world, but I’m over that now,” he says. “I know that I belong here and can compete at this level. It’s time for me to show that.”
You can read Lorenzo-Vera’s blog in its entirety here.
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